Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 8
Music, mayhem mix in upcoming Saint Vincent Summer Theatre shows
The upcoming Saint Vincent Summer Theatre season is feeling like “a return to normalcy” for producing artistic director Greggory Brandt. For its 53rd season, the theater will present three productions and welcome back its popular after-performance cabaret. Following a two-year pandemic shutdown, SVST presented two productions in 2022. This year’s...
Southside Johnny brings classic Jersey Shore sound to The PalaceVideo
When Southside Johnny hits the stage with the Asbury Jukes, he likes to tell the audience, “You’re more than welcome to enjoy yourself.” The invitation is extended to those who come to hear their raucous, horn-heavy, roots-tinged rock at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. “We’re gonna...
Sewickley’s Sweetwater Center for the Arts says ‘Let Them Cook’ for benefit dinner
Sweetwater Center for the Arts is reviving and revitalizing a longtime favorite event with Let Them Cook, a fundraising dinner of signature dishes made by a group of volunteer home chefs. The event is set for 6 to 9 p.m. April 21 in the center at 200 Broad St., Sewickley....
Greensburg’s new Laurel Marketplace hosts collection of local vendors
Shoppers who are used to going online or visiting seasonal outdoor markets for locally made products now have a storefront option for finding some of their favorites. The Laurel Marketplace opened March 1 at 14 W. Second St. in downtown Greensburg, in the newly renovated space that previously housed the...
Activist explores Native peoples’ history, recent issues during presentation at The Westmoreland
Miguel Sague Jr. finds value in reenactments involving Native Americans, such as those at Bushy Run Battlefield that have prompted widespread discussion over their appropriateness. But he conceded that, when non-Native Americans depict Native people, it can be tricky. “I think reenacting these battles is a good thing. It’s something...
Out & About: Black Tie event benefits Excela Health heart, lung institute
Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll wasn’t above invoking scripture to teach a lesson. So said four-time Steelers Super Bowl champion Jon Kolb to VIP party attendees at Black Tie for Hearts, hosted by Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation on March 25 at Greensburg Country Club. The event raised funds for the...
Out & About: Greensburg Garden Center hosts biggest-ever spring tea
Obviously, the word is out about the annual Greensburg Garden Center Spring Tea. The March 25 event at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center was a hot ticket, drawing its biggest-ever attendance of 122. Each of the 15 tables was decorated in a unique theme created by the table hostess...
Out & About: Local songbirds shine at ‘Westmoreland Has Talent’
Pitt-Greensburg students might be intrigued — or appalled — to know that, after hours, their leader can really rock out. President Robert Gregerson brought a heavy-metal growl to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” as one of the featured performers in Westmoreland Has Talent on March 25 at Live...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 31-April 2
Fine photos An exhibition by members of the Westmoreland Photographers Society will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier St. It will run through April 28. The show will feature about 60 images from amateur and professional photographers, including fine...
Greensburg’s SummerSounds concert season opens with 2 tribute acts
Organizers of Greensburg’s SummerSounds concert series don’t like to book the same act two years in a row. They’re making an exception this year, though, to bring back the top draw from 2022. Elton Rohn, the Canadian Elton John tribute artist who packed St. Clair Park on July 7, is scheduled...
Pitt-Greensburg thespians delve into women’s lives in spring play
Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company will close out Women’s History Month with a production of “Talking With …” a play composed of 11 monologues by women relating the ordeals of their lives. Among the idiosyncratic characters portrayed by four student actors are a baton twirler, a fundamentalist snake handler, an ex-rodeo rider...
Pitt-Greensburg’s Joan Chambers Concert Series returns with 3-date season
The Joan Chambers Concert Series returns to the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Saturday for the first concert of a condensed, three-performance season. Baritone Skip Napier, accompanied by pianist Tim Heavner, will lead the audience on a tour of musical styles from opera and oratorio to spirituals beginning at 7:30...
Former Unity fitness facility converts to pickleball courts
Charles and Stephanie Pienaar closed Omega Fitness and Crossfit Ageless in Unity last year when they decided to attend Bible college in Colorado. That left them wondering what to do with the building at 3595 Route 30 East, across from Lazor Furniture, the third facility housing the fitness business they...
Out & About: The Westmoreland says ‘slainte’ to St. Patrick’s Day
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so the saying goes. A green-clad crowd filled The Westmoreland Museum of American Art on March 17 for an evening of “Shamrocks & Shenanigans” at the monthly Art on Tap 2.0 happy hour. Museum staffers Darrah Resnick and Sarah Rowe greeted them with...
Out & About: Seton Hill art students present senior exhibit
The title “Rumination & Rebirth” reflects the deep thought behind the work of five Seton Hill University senior students, showing through March 28 in the Harlan Gallery of the university’s art center in downtown Greensburg. Also showing in an adjacent gallery is “Souvenirs,” a solo capstone show for bachelor of...
Ligonier Township farm with 175-year legacy lists for $1.8 million
The next owners of a 150-acre Ligonier Township property won’t just be buying a farm — they’ll be continuing a legacy. About a mile north of Ligonier Borough, Kananga Farm is listed with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services for $1,825,000. “It has a history to take into the future. To...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 24-26
Shop the night away The Greensburg Night Market will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in the second-floor event space at Live Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall. More than 50 vendors are scheduled to be present, offering products including foods and beverages, bath and beauty products, home decor,...
Themes of romance, revenge drive Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Il Trovatore’
Audience members at the Pittsburgh Opera production of “Il Trovatore” might be reminded of a popular medieval fantasy television series. “In many ways, the setting and staging of ‘Il Trovatore’ feels like it could be from scenes of ‘Game of Thrones,’ minus the White Walkers and dragons,” said Christian Cox,...
Greensburg Civic Theatre’s ‘Pinkalicious’ has laughs, lessons for all ages
“Pinkalicious” is about a girl who ignores her parents’ warnings and turns pink after eating too many cupcakes. Obviously, there’s a lesson in there for children — but adults also can learn a thing or two from the story. Greensburg Civic Theatre’s Greasepaint Players will present a musical based on...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: March 17-19
Slainte! Don your best green garb for “Shamrocks and Shenanigans,” a St. Patrick’s Day-themed Art on Tap 2.0 planned for 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. The 21-and-older happy hour will feature a specialty cocktail, locally brewed green beer,...
Spring garden prep: What to do before growing season gets underway
It’s been a pretty poor excuse for a winter in Western Pennsylvania, but Mother Nature still could have a few frosts and snowflakes up her sleeve. That means gardeners eager to get out there and get planting need to exercise a little patience. “The biggest thing I can tell people...
‘Rhythm of the Dance’ brings Celtic history, culture to The Palace TheatreVideo
Fresh from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, audiences are promised a whirlwind tour of Ireland when “Rhythm of the Dance” hits the stage of The Palace Theatre in Greensburg at 3 p.m. March 19. After the two-hour extravaganza of dance and music, “they will leave the theater feeling that they have...
Out & About: Young artists display talent in SAMA-Ligonier Valley show
Madeleine Cooper started with 20 dots placed randomly on a piece of paper and ended up with artwork fit for a museum exhibit. A second grader at R.K. Mellon Elementary School in Ligonier, Cooper is among more than 150 young artists chosen by their teachers to participate in “Artists of...
Out & About: NAACP prayer luncheon seeks peace amidst storms
After high winds and heavy rains on March 3 left damage and power outages across Westmoreland County, members of the Greensburg-Jeannette NAACP and guests gathered the next day to find “Peace in the Midst of the Storm.” The theme was chosen prior to the forecast, but it turned out to...
‘Westmoreland Has Talent’ fundraiser to feature ex-Steelers QB Charlie Batch
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch will be the special guest at Westmoreland Diversity Coalition’s annual karaoke fundraiser. Just don’t expect him to pick up the microphone. Batch will be signing autographs and taking photos with guests at Westmoreland Has Talent, set for 6 p.m. March 25 in the event...
